Scapa Flow Is Sheltered for Diving All Year Round
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Text and photos by Lawson Wood ScapaThe Wrecks ofFlow Scotland’s Orkney Islands Situated 25 km (15 miles) north of the Scottish mainland, the Orkney Islands are located on the same latitude as southern Greenland, Alaska and Leningrad, however Orkney is bathed in the warm waters of the North Atlantic Drift that first started out as the Gulf Stream in the Caribbean. Hence, a profusion of marine life, water that rarely gets too cold and mild winters, whilst the islands are inevitable windy, the almost landlocked bay of Scapa Flow is sheltered for diving all year round. The Orkney Islands are created by submergence and give the impression of tipping westwards into the sea. There are great sea stacks, arches, caves and caverns all around the coast, some of which are world famous such as the Old Man of Hoy, and they have a total land mass of around 971.25km2 (375 square miles). 79 X-RAY MAG : 31 : 2009 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED Stromness Harbour in the Orkney Islands. BOTTOM LEFT: Lawson Wood with the Standing Stone of Sten Ness PREVIOUS PAGE: Aerial view of Scapa Scapa Flow feature Flow Bay in the Orkney Islands When you travel around Orkney the monuments themselves, detailed you cannot help but notice the history of the Norse Occupation was standing stones and ancient not committed to paper until the 13th stone rings which predate century in Iceland. The Orkneyinga the Norsemen as far back Saga tells the tale of the Earl’s of as Stone Age, Bronze Orkney and the occupation of the and Iron Ages and the islands. Pictish civilisation. More recently, the sheltered bay Although very little of Scapa Flow was the base of is known of these the British Naval Fleet over several early times, generations and indeed has other than served the nation well during the Napoleonic War and the American War of Independence. Orkney had the almost perfect naval base with calm sheltered waters surrounded by protective islands, creating a deep natural harbour first named by the Vikings. Graeme Spence, Maritime Surveyor to the Admiralty said in 1812, “...the art of Man, aided by all the Dykes, Sea Walls or Break-Waters that could possibly be built could not have contained a better Roadstead which no other Roadstead I know trawlers, their skippers and crew of possesses, and without waiting for eagerly awaiting our arrival. Tide on which account it may be So what is it that brings the droves called the Key to both Oceans.” of divers from all over the world? Why visit an area, which is not exactly To the Orkneys known for its sun-kissed beaches, There is always a sense of mounting crystal clear water and palm excitement as you approach the trees. In fact, I seem to remember Orkney Islands by ferry, either from the famed Scot’s comedian Billy Aberdeen direct to Kirkwall or from Connolly complaining that when Scrabster with landfall at Stromness. visiting Orkney, he could not take The initial huge land mass that his dog out to relieve itself because looms up out of the early morning he couldn’t find any trees! The mist is the Island of Hoy, and as interest is undoubtedly around the one approaches the first of several fleet of warships sunk deliberately or entrances to Scapa Flow, visitors can otherwise during the last two world appreciate why this natural harbour wars and principally to dive on the Dive boats in Stromness Harbour was used by the British Admiralty. German High Seas Battle Fleet, In Stromness, we disembark next to scuttled ninety years ago, in 1919. than the peculiar situation and extent point the Wind blows a Vessel in the harbour where the majority of The Orkney Islands and specifically of the South Isles of Orkney have Scapa Flow may make a fair wind Scapa Flow’s fleet of diving boats are the bay of Scapa Flow are home made Scapa Flow ... from whatever of it out to free sea ... a property based; most are converted fishing to the largest amount of diveable 80 X-RAY MAG : 31 : 2009 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Scapa Flow Interior of the wreck of the blockship Doyle; Archive photos of the blockships and their placement in Scapa Flow Bay during WWI shipwrecks and wreckage to be found for most of the year. The wrecks are There they languished for over seven on the planet, directly as a result of the actually dotted all over Scapa Flow, months, with most of the ships’ crews deliberate scuttling of the German High with blockships found in the extreme being returned to Germany. Admiral Seas Battle Fleet in June 1919. Seventy- east and west of the Flow and the Ludwig von Reuter, convinced that four ships sank within just a few hours German light cruisers and battleships war conditions were to be reinstated of each other. Couple that statistic found roughly in the centre of Scapa and that the interred fleet was to with a further 43 ships deliberately sunk Flow, arranged in a horseshoe shape be used by the Allied force against to block the entrances into this bay near the island of Cava and a rocky Germany, took it upon himself to during both World Wars; 11 airplanes, pinnacle called the Barrel of Butter. scuttle the entire fleet on 21 June one submarine and a further 16 But first, let’s look at the reasons why 1919 whilst the British fleet had left for British shipwrecks including two British the ships are here and what makes manoeuvres. At 11 a.m. the skeleton battleships, then we have some major them so interesting. crews on board opened condensers, wreck diving interest. When Germany capitulated at valves and pipes. Within four hours, Considered by many to be the end of the First World War, her most of the ships had sunk from view, impregnable to attack, the bay of High Seas Battle Fleet—comprised of others were beached and many Scapa Flow covers some 311sq.km battlecruisers, battleships, light cruisers, flipped upside down on their way to (120 square miles) and is now almost destroyers and motor torpedo boats— the sea bed. totally landlocked with Mainland to were interred until it was decided Whilst there are still so many wrecks the north, the islands of Hoy and Flotta what was to be done with them. In to dive, the largest majority of the to the south and west, and to the November 1918, the entire German German fleet were actually raised and south and east, the Churchill Barriers High Seas Battle Fleet, escorted by 200 scrapped, and interestingly, much link the islands of Lamb Holm, Glimps British Naval ships sailed into the bay of of the scrap metal was resold back Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsay. This Scapa Flow, much to the surprise and to Germany for them to rebuild their Anemones on guns; Underwater photographer under makes for some relatively calm waters consternation of the local population. navy! Cox & Danks were the first major the pontoons at the wreck site of the blockships Diver on the wreck of the Markgraf 81 X-RAY MAG : 31 : 2009 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROFILES PORTFOLIO CLASSIFIED feature Scapa Flow CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: Shrimp on coral; Conger eel; Anglerfish; Queen Scallop; Red Gurnard fish; Seal at the Barrel of Butter Scapa Flow is undoubtedly the best wreck diving in Europe and certainly ranks in the top divers on over 70 percent of the five of the world, having same shipwrecks. three times more wrecks than found in Chuuk (Truck The Top Ten Diveable Wrecks Lagoon). Although many of of Scapa Flow the ships were salvaged, at The following list is purely arbitrary, present there are still three as virtually all of the German German battleships; four Naval Fleet wrecks are in deep light cruisers; five torpedo water, making each dive, next eight years, boats (small destroyers); a WWII destroyer potentially either a mixed gas Cox & Danks raised (F2); one submarine; 27 large sections dive or a decompression dive two battleships, four of remains, debris sites and salvor’s of some sort. Photographically battlecruisers, one equipment; 32 blockships and two British seabed is less than 30m (100ft) deep. and time wise, the blockships—Tabarka, light cruiser and 25 battleships (the Vanguard and the Royal All of the motor torpedo boats and Gobernador Boreis and the Doyle—are destroyers. His first Oak); a further, 16 known British wrecks blockships are in less than 18m (60ft), superb and definitely the best accessible ship took ten days to and many other bits of wreckage as the blockships at Barrier lift from the seabed yet unidentified including a number or II are in under 6m but before long, aircraft. (20ft) and are quite as one observer possibly some of the recorded, “he fished Diving Scapa Flow best shallow shipwrecks up ships almost as Many divers still assume that one can in Europe. Therefore, easily as an angler only explore the German Naval Fleet all the blockships and winds in salmon”. wrecks using nitrox, trimix or rebreathers, German light cruisers The next salvor and that all of the dives should be are achievable for was Metal Industries treated as decompression dives, only novice divers (under and they continued to be dived by super-qualified divers. supervision). A diving the same practice In fact, diving in Scapa Flow can be as holiday in Scapa Flow set up by Cox & simple or as complicated as you want to is realistic for novice Danks and raised all make it.